Christian Eriksen

Middelfart and Odense

Born in Middelfart, Denmark, Eriksen followed in the footsteps of his father Thomas when he started playing football in the academy of local side, Middelfart G&BK. Eriksen's father was also one of the coaches at the time and in 2004 they helped the youth side finish unbeaten in the local youth championship for the third time in a period of four years. The following year, he joined OB, who competed in the Danish youth championships, and within a year had helped the club to an age-group title. It was at OB that Eriksen first began showing signs of his technical ability, with his dribbling and free-kick techniques lauded by then-coach, Tonny Hermansen. His form at youth level attracted the attention of a number of major European clubs, including the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona. Eriksen ultimately underwent trials with both clubs as well as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Milan, but finally decided to move to Ajax, stating, "My first step should not be too big. I knew that playing in the Netherlands would be very good for my development. Then Ajax arrived and that was a fantastic option."

Ajax

2008–2010: Youth and first-team squad

On 17 October 2008, Eriksen signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Amsterdam-based club, Ajax. The transfer fee received by OB was estimated at €1 million (£847,199) while Middelfart also received a sum of €35 000 which they later used to construct a football pitch. He worked his way through…

Youth

Eriksen was called up to the Denmark national under-17 football team in July 2007, and impressed in his debut for the team on 31 July. In 2008, he scored eight goals in 16 games for the U-17s, and was named Danish U-17 Talent of the Year by the Danish FA. He was also one of four nominees for the 2008 Danish Talent of the Year award, which was won by Mathias Jørgensen. He played 27 games for the under-17 team until February 2009. He played a total of eight games for the Denmark U-18 and Denmark U-19 teams during 2009. Eriksen was also called up for the Danish U-21 squad to the European championship in Denmark in 2011, the Danish team only participated in the group stage and Eriksen scored a goal against Belarus.

Senior

Early career

Eriksen received his first senior Denmark call-up in February 2010, making his debut in Denmark's friendly match against Austria in March, to become Denmark's fourth youngest full international, being the youngest debutant since Michael Laudrup. On 28 May 2010, Denmark coach Morten Olsen announced that Eriksen would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was the youngest player participating in the tournament. At the World Cup, Eriksen played two matches, against the Netherlands and Japan, but Denmark were unable to progress beyond the group stage. On 9 February 2011, in a 2–1 friendly loss at home against England, Eriksen was named man of the match, and…

Described as a "classic number ten" in the media, Eriksen's favoured position is in a free role in the centre of the pitch as an attacking midfielder behind the forwards; however, he is a tactically versatile player, who is also capable of playing as a central midfielder or mezzala in a 4–3–3 system (as was the case during his first years with Ajax), and as a right winger in a 4–2–3–1 formation. He has also been used on the left flank on occasion, or as a second striker. Eriksen is also known for his work-rate and intelligence on the pitch. He is skilled with seeing the goal, and is known for his ability to strike the ball with power and accuracy with either foot, despite being naturally right-footed; moreover, he has also established himself as a free kick specialist. Due to his playing style, nationality, and role, pundits have compared him to his compatriots Michael and Brian Laudrup, who were two of his major influences in his youth, as well as Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart; Eriksen has also cited Francesco Totti as an inspiration.

Eriksen lives with his partner Sabrina Kvist Jensen. They have a son and a daughter. His younger sister Louise Eriksen also plays professional football, and has made appearances for the Danish women's under-16 national team.